Weber Presents: Command of the Grill

They came. They saw. They grilled. Nearly 100 active duty and reserve Marines competed in a Command of the Grill™ competition at one of ten military installations around the country including Camp Pendleton and MCB Quantico. The ten winners of the semi-final contests will compete in an ultimate grill-off May 25, 2006, in Times Square in New York City.

Update: Col. Stewart Navarre from Camp Pendleton claimed the "Command of the Grill" championship title. Navarre, a native of Evansville, Ind. whose Combat Steak recipe, which featured a salt, pepper and garlic rub, with grilled mushrooms won over the panel of judges, said, "I was absolutely honored to be part of the competition and absolutely surprised to win. The opportunity to participate with my fellow Marines in this event and support the four charities made it very special for us."

Lance Corporal Jaynine Goodroe
MCAS Yuma
When she competes in the finals in New York City, Goodroe will again be the only woman manning the grill. “I had never realized that grilling was a male-dominated sport,” she said. “It just makes me want to try even harder.”

Sergeant Michael Clayton
MCRD Parris Island
Equally experienced in charcoal and gas grilling, Clayton should be a tough competitor in New York. When asked about his plan for the finals, he claims that he will stick with his original recipe due to its success in South Carolina.

Colonel Stewart Navarre
MCB Camp Pendleton
Navarre credits his wife for his award-winning recipe. “She’s the one that provides the recipes. I’ll put the meat on the grill,” he humbly said. *TITLE WINNER*
:: view recipe ::

Staff Sergeant Daniel Newcomb
MCB Hawaii
Newcomb used his skills to create a recipe that featured toasted sesame seeds in the marinade. The sesame seeds, he says, give it a different flavor than you would find in other marinades.

Captain Phillip Woodward
MCAGCC 29 Palms
“Try and get the meat as tender as possible. That’s what a marinade does for you. Lemon juice is the real key. Then throw in a little brown sugar and a bit of soy sauce, those kinds of things, for flavor.”

Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Batista
Camp Allen
When asked why he entered the Command of the Grill™ contest, Batista replied, “I got such great reviews about my cooking while in Cuba, I said, ‘what the heck, let me try this contest and I’ll see how good I really am.’”

Staff Sergeant Joseph Taylor
MCAS Cherry Point
Taylor took inspiration for his Command of the Grill™ recipe from, of all things, sushi. “I made a rub using wasabi powder, ginger, and a few other items and it came out real good.”

Sergeant Michael Clawson
MOBCOM Kansas City
As a “kid from Salt Lake City” in a town known for barbecue (Kansas City), he really never thought he’d go home with grilling honors. But, he says, he won “because his steak tasted like it’s supposed to.”

Captain Robert L. Burton
MCB Quantico
“Barbecue is my only hobby,” the Mississippi native reveals. “I do it every weekend. If I’m not working or with my family, I’m barbecuing.”

Captain Eric Peter Dominijanni
MCB Camp Lejeune
To his challengers he warns, “Gentlemen, you are in my house, my territory, so be prepared to go up against a guy who was born and raised in New York and knows exactly what everyone wants to eat over there.”
:: view recipe ::